Visiting Burgundy

The famous vineyard of Romanee Conti covers 1.63 hectares (4 acres). Production is +-3500 bottles per year. The wine sells for +- €20,000 per bottle. A monopole vineyard (ie one owner)

The Grand Cru vineyard of Chevalier Montrachet covers 7.47 hectares (18.5 acres) and produces approximately 40,000 bottles. Just above the village of Puligny Montrachet in the Cote de Beaune.

One of my favourite areas of Burgundy is the area around Gevrey Chambertin in the Cote de Nuits.

Fascinating map of the very precise vineyards of Gevrey Chambertin. Village, Premier and Grand Cru sites.

Domaine Jacques Prieur has some of the finest Grand Cru vineyards.

New investment from the American Evenstadt family of Oregon has energised this beautiful Domaine in Santenay, Chateau de la Cree.

Domaine Jacques Prieur cellars.

Hanging out with Alicia at Romanee Conti.

Another new investor in the area is Michael Baum who bought Chateau de Pommard in 2014. Michael was succesful in Big Data in San Francisco. He is already bringing analysis and technology to the estate, whilst respecting the fantastic potential in the terroir. An interesting long term investment to follow.

The famous Hotel Dieu in Beaune also known as the Hospices de Beaune, built in 1443 by the generous Nicolas Rolin. A hospital for the poor and the sick.

Not all estates are available to visit in Burgundy. But we have some great access to some beautiful places.

Montrachet is an iconic Grand Cru vineyard in the Cote de Beaune. 7.99 hectares (19.7 hectares) with 18 owners and 26 producers making +- 45,000 bottles per year.

We are running tours throughout the year in Burgundy, so please contact us for more details: hamish@bellawines.co.uk

Francois Pinault of Chateau Latour buys Clos de Tart for €40 million per hectare?

Francois Pinault, the 81 year old French billionaire businessman, who owns Chateau Latour, has just confirmed the purchase of Clos de Tart in the Burgundy village of Morey St Denis. This beautiful 7.53 hectare of Grand Cru vines is a Monopole, which means it is under sole ownership, rather than classically being split into multiple ownership.
There was a strong rumour that the Rouzaud family (owners of Champagne Louis Roederer and Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande) were going to buy Clos de Tart.
But Francois Pinault has a history of buying ultimate quality prizes. He bought Chateau Latour in 1993 under the nose of the Wertheimer family, who were under bidders, and took consolation by buying Chateau Rauzan Segla in Margaux and Chateau Canon in Saint Emilion.
Clos de Tart joins Francois Pinault's other burgundy estate Domaine Eugenie (formerly Rene Engel) in Vosne Romanee.
Clos de Tart has some significant neighbours in the village of Morey St Denis in Clos des Lambrays owned by Bernard Arnault's LVMH as well as the excellent Domaine Dujac owned by the Seysses family.
The cost of Clos de Tart has not been released, however the rumour is that the price was between €200-€250 million, valuing the estate at c€40 million per hectare.
Decanter magazine and The Drinks Business have written about the purchase.

Key Decisions running a wine estate

 So, you have bought a Chateau, Domaine, Quinta, Estate or Farm and you want to produce some exceptional wines.
The writing of the cheque for £$€ X million was painful enough. But you will probably need that money in reserve to upgrade the wine estate and improve the quality. The first investment (and most long term) is the most important......the vineyard. Are you happy with the vines planted on the specific soils? Do you need to replant some old vines? Is the density of planting correct? Are the soils vibrant with the specific level of micro organisms? Or are they compacted and dull? We often say that 80% of winemaking is from the vineyard.

The iconic Chateau Latour in Bordeaux. Francois Pinault bought this Chateau in 1993 for £86 million without visiting the estate. 

The terroir is a crucial aspect of any vineyard, and more particularly in France Appellations, as they are not allowed to irrigate. So the soils, as well as the inclination, altitude, subsoils, drainage, and location are all crucial.

Nature is also an irascible unknown that can effect your success or failure to run a wine estate. In fact nature is the most crucial aspect when you roll the dice.

Having a cellar full of wine is a luxury, but also a significant cost.

Having spoken recently to a well known gentleman in Pomerol, who owns a well respected estate, he mentioned three key decisions that he needs to make during the year that he can not go back on or change. Everything else should fall in to place if nature is kind and if the correct people are employed to do the work.

Harvest machines might be a lot less expensive than manual labour, but where is the romance?

The wine sits in expensive oak barrels (c€900 per barrel) for nearly 2 years before bottling. Cash tied up.

The three key decisions are:
1. The harvest date.........
This obvious decision is based on a large element of scientific analysis and also an element of wisdom and knowledge. It might be distracting if all your neighbours are in full harvest, when you are waiting for three extra important days for maximum maturity for your grapes. Or if there is a threat of rain in the coming days, do you try to pick the grapes as soon as possible or wait for the rain to pass and maybe have the problem of soggy, rotten grapes to pick. A key decision that can not be reversed.

2. The bottling and maturity........
There are many variables for ageing wine and ultimately deciding upon which style of wine you want in the market. A light fruity rose? A soft easy drinking red? A wine for long ageing and tight with tannins? Once the big decision to bottle the wine has been made, then you can not reverse that decision. A wine might taste fabulous in the tank or barrel, but it will change and metamorphosis once in the bottle.

3. Setting the market price..........
If you go too low, you will sell out too quickly. If you go too high, you might not sell at all.
Setting the correct market price for your wine will of course be based on your production costs and also your anticipated ROI. But also in Bordeaux you might need to consider the classification, or what other similar Chateaux are achieving for their wines. For Bordeaux wines, (which are mainly sold as futures) setting the price is a key decision that can not be reversed.

Many people buy wine estates with their heart rather than their head. Many aspects of nature can be a gentle roller coaster and hopefully a positive experience. However these three decisions above are the influence of humans in the wine making and selling process.